Bernards Committee Due to Hire New Police Officer and 2 Crossing Guards At Tuesday Meeting

BERNARDS TWP., NJ _ After budgeting for two more police officers this year _ and seeing the department's deputy chief retire in early August _ the Bernards Township Committee is due to hire another patrol officer at Tuesday night's meeting.

The agenda posted for the meeting scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. on Aug. 27 in Basking Ridge includes the hiring of Dean Hogan as a new patrol officer. The meeting will be held in the main meeting room at the township municipal building at 1 Collyer Lane.

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The officer is due to be paid an annual $55,992 salary, as per the township's contract with the local Police Benevolent Association. His hiring is scheduled to be official as of Wednesday, Aug. 27.

Deputy Chief Eric Geleta, who rose through the ranks in the Bernards Township department, retired as of the beginning of August. Earlier this year, the Township Committee agreed to increase the size of the police force to 40 officers, with concern about local burglaries, car thefts and other crime a major issue in this year's budgeting process.

Also on Tuesday night, another of the Township Committee's scheduled actions is to hire another crossing guard and substitute crossing guard prior to the start of the 2024-25 school year. Township students are due to report for their first day of class on Thursday, Sept. 5.

Earlier this month, at the Aug. 13 meeting, the Township Committee also acted to approve the placement of a school resource officer and also a special police officer at each of the school district's six schools.

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